BATTERED HEARTS
by Kakkabrat
Summary: Pan loves Trunks. Trunks loves Pan. But will they ever find out they love each other?


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Hey every one. Some of you may have noticed that this story was up before. My account was, for a reason unknown to me, was erased. But for anyone that thinks this is going to be the same story, you're wrong. This is, due to my having much more experience writing, is going to be a much better versionof this story. There will be a few changes other than just quality, butthey are all for the better.  
  
Well, for anyone that hasn't read this. I really hope you'll like it as much as everyone from my first version did. I know you will if you're a Trunks and Pan lover. But that's enough of my babbling.**_  
  
** Chapter One**  
  
Just friends?

_ In a world of mistrust, hate and fear people often cling to any good that they can find. They spend their lives searching for others to help them in life. Friends, and family. But the latter of those two crucial things does not always come easily, for a partner that one may choose may not reciprocate those feelings.  
  
This is the story of one such occurrence, or is it?_

Eight years. Eight years have passed since Son Pan's beloved Grandfather had disappeared with Shenlong. Though she seemed to be the only one that had ever acknowledged this day, but most likely with good reason.

All of her family and her friends had experienced the disappearance or death of her grandfather far too many times to mourn whenever the anniversary of one would come. But it was different for her, when he left when she had been little she had the knowledge that he was safe, on the same planet as she. So she hadn't worried or been sad, thinking in her naiveté that he would be back soon. After a while, she just kinda went on with her life. So she was never too badly affected by that.  
  
But then he came back, and she got to spend an entire year with him and Trunks in space. Over time, she came to deeply care about him again. But then, as he had done to so many, he left her. It had hurt her. Sure she had acted fine whenever someone asked, but it took her at least six years to fully recover from the blow her grandfather had delivered. But for the most part she had recovered, but on this day, the anniversary of his departure, she would mourn.  
  
She didn't mourn as most people would. She didn't cry, or look at old pictures and wish for him to be back when she knew that wouldn't happen. Instead, she would train, not stopping until she absolutely had to. This day was no different.  
  
She had gone to her special place and trained for hours, not stopping until she felt ready to die of starvation. So she quickly dug into her pocket, pulling out a small capsule. She pressed the button on the top and tossed it. The was a loud bang, and then her food appeared before her on the ground  
  
It was enough food for at least for people, yet just enough for the young demi Saiyan. She sat down, and started to eat, enjoying the home cooked meal. She looked around as she ate, also enjoying the scenery. The sky was blue, the flowers were blooming in the distance. It seemed perfect.  
  
Grandpa Goku would love it if her were here. Not only would he love it, but also she could forget her capsule lunch. The two of them would have gone fishing at the lake to catch their lunch. Not with poles, hooks and bait like most people. When you went fishing with Grandpa, you jumped in and grabbed the fish with your hands.  
  
"Mind if I join you?"  
  
The intrusion of her quiet and peaceful picnic startled her. She looked to the owner of the owner of the voice that had intruded on her solitude, and smiled. It was him, the one other person that had gone to space with her. "Of course I don't mind Trunks. But what are you doing all the way out here?"  
  
"Just thought I'd come visit." He said sitting down and helped himself to her lunch. But she dismissed it, she was too happy to see him. They hadn't seen much of each other since problems had started at capsule. He, as president, had been extremely busy trying to fix things.  
  
"Really now?" she asked coyly. "And just how did you manage to get away from work?"  
  
"Oh, I just left everything at Capsule to Bra. She's more interesting in the running of the family business than I am. I never liked being cooped up in that office for so long. This is my second day off and I decided to spend it with you."  
  
"Really?" she asked excitedly. Trunks had never shown much interest in her before, and she was certainly happy that he was starting to. For as far back as she could remember she had always had strong feelings for Trunks. He had been her childhood crush for years, and she had realized not long ago that her feelings had advanced beyond that. She no longer had a crush on him, but was completely in love with him.  
  
"Well yeah Panny. You are one of my best friends." "Trunks said as he took a bite of pie and smiled at her.  
  
Friends, of course.  
  
He really was quite a bit older than she was, Pan knew that. That she needed to get over him before she did something stupid, like tell him how she felt was constantly reminding herself of how he would never return her feelings.  
  
She forced a smirk as a response, and continued to eat. There was a silence as the two ate. Pan didn't even hear the normal noises of the forest. Not a bird or a dinosaur, nothing. There was total silence.  
  
But Trunks decided to break the silence. "So what have you been up to?"  
  
"Nothing really," she answered. "My college courses have been keeping me busy."  
  
It was true. She hadn't been doing much of anything. Other than her schoolwork and moving out into her own house.  
  
"Oh. Well, what about that guy Goten told me about? I think his name is. . . Maiz?" Trunks said, looking away.  
  
Ah, that guy.  
  
"Oh, he didn't last long. He found someone else." Pan said casually, shrugging a little bit.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry Pan."  
  
"Don't be, I introduced them. He wasn't right for me, and this girl from one of my classes had a thing for him, so I hooked them up." Pan hadn't wanted to meet the guy in the first place, but Bra had insisted. Bra had recently taken it upon herself to make sure Pan got a social life.  
  
"So you didn't like him?" Trunks asked in a nonchalant tone.  
  
"I guess I did, a little bit. He was cute, but just not my type. He eve thinks fighters are barbaric bums." Why was he asking so many questions about a guy she had dated for two weeks? "Why do you ask?"  
  
"I. . . uh." he looked up at the sky, as if looking for the answer there, and he apparently found it. "Just making conversation. From what Goten told you seemed to like the guy a lot.  
  
Pan sighed and smiled at him. Things were never going to change.  
  
Not that that had been his only reason for asking about the guy. After  
  
Goten had told him about this guy he had decided to see if Pan was  
  
actually serious about the guy.  
  
From what Goten had actually said anyone would think the two were ready to get married or something. Trunks now felt a tremendous relief knowing that was not going to happen.  
  
"So what about you? Pan asked, as she lay back and stretched out. "What have you been up to other that freeing yourself from Capsule?"  
  
She looked so. . . peaceful lying there like that, so content. He smiled and looked her over. She was wearing the traditional gi, much like Goku's. The only difference was the bottoms she wore were shorts instead of pants. She wore her bandana as she always did, her short raven hair barely showing from underneath.  
  
"Nothing yet. Just hanging out with friends really. Until Father finds out at least. Once he does I'm sure he'll decide it's time I start training again." He grimaced at the thought. He hadn't had time for training in a long time, and his father would only be extra hard on him because of it. It wasn't going to be much fun.  
  
"Awe, poor Trunks." Pan said in a teasing voice, faking a sympathetic look on her face.  
  
"I'm better off than you would be." He said back. But as soon as he had said it, he wished he hadn't.  
  
Pan had always been easily upset by the fact that she still hadn't managed to become a super saiyan. It had become even worse when she realized it might not even be a possibility for her since her saiyan blood was so thin. She's the only quarter saiyan that's ever had a decent amount of strength, so nobody knew if it were possible for her to transform.  
  
He looked at her to see her reaction, but she hadn't seemed to have one. She just continued to lie there. "Pan?"  
  
She didn't respond. Had he upset her that much? He hadn't meant to.  
  
"You should go Trunks. I need to get back to work." She told him, still not moving. She wasn't even looking at him as she spoke.  
  
Slowly he nodded. "Alright, I'll go." Trunks stood up and brushed himself off with his hands, getting rid of any grass that had gotten stuck to his clothes. "Thanks for the food." He turned around, and flew away.  
  
He cursed at himself for making the girl he loved upset. Yes, loved. He loved Pan, no matter how sick and wrong that may be. He is fourteen years her senior, but it didn't matter, not to him.  
  
He had realized it a few years ago, when he had comforted her after one of her boyfriends, on that she had gone out with for a year had broken up with her after she had refused to sleep with him.  
  
He had known for many years of the crush that she had on him. He wanted so much to take advantage of that crush, but that wasn't right. Just because she has a crush on him doesn't mean she loves him, young women like Pan can often confuse the two.  
  
He had millions of girls all over the world that had crushes on him, he just couldn't risk Pan being like everyone else.  
  
Trunks landed just a few feet away from Capsules front door. He felt pissed off at himself for making Pan want him to leave, for a couple of reasons. The first was he hated when Pan was upset. The second was he very rarely got to be with Pan without someone else around, and he had just screwed up what would probably be the last time that would happen for months.  
  
But he was hoping he would get to be alone with her more often since he was no longer president of Capsule. And once she was done with college she'd have a lot more extra time too.  
  
Trunks walked inside and sat down on the couch, trying to imagine Pan was there with him.  
  
"Brat," Vegeta said, sounding irritated, "What the hell are you doing here? You are avoiding going to the Woman's stupid company, are you?"  
  
Trunks opened his eyes and saw him father standing there in front of him in his training outfit. "No Dad, I'm not avoiding going. I'm not. I'm not working there anymore; Bra has my job now."  
  
"Good," Vegeta said smirking, "that means you no longer have an excuse to not train. Now come on Brat, it's time you started training again."  
  
Trunks had known this would happen. he should have gone to see Goten, or out to lunch. But nooooo, he'd had to come here so his father could beat the crap out of him.  
  
"Actually, I was going to go to the lab and see if I could help Mom with that. . . thing she's been working on." Trunks said, hoping his father would let him get away.  
  
"Not a chance Brat. Now go get ready, I expect to see you in the gravity room in ten minutes. I suggest you hurry." Vegeta said smirking as he left.  
  
Great, just great. Now his father would probably beat him into the ground for hours. Trunks got up slowly and trudged his way up the stairs to his room. He went to get his gi from his closet, and on the inside of the closet door was a picture.  
  
He looked at it and smiled back at the smiling Pan in the picture. She was admiring the present he had given her for her birthday last year, and he imagined she was there, smiling just for him.  
  
_**So what did you guys think? I must say, this version is much better than my last. Isn't it ironic, they both love each other, but feel the other doesn't. Why do they have to be so confessed? And things are only going to get worse. I already wrote the next chapter. I've already written the next seventeen chapters in fact. When this is updated depends on all of you motivating me to type my chapters, and there's only one way to make me want to update sooner.**_


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